Mother pleads guilty, apologizes for neglect

The mother of four young children found locked in a filthy bedroom in November wept and apologized for her actions after pleading guilty Friday to child neglect.

By Sanne Specht

The mother of four young children found locked in a filthy bedroom in November wept and apologized for her actions after pleading guilty Friday to child neglect.

Jackson County Circuit Judge Timothy Gerking accepted Kassandra Lynn Regain's pleas to three second-degree child neglect charges. Regain was sentenced to five days in jail, with credit for time served, and 18 months' probation. Three counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment were dismissed in the deal reached by Regain's attorney, Christopher Missiaen, and Mandi Gould, a Jackson County prosecutor.

Regain, 23, and her husband, Jeramy Allen Hon, 29, were charged with a dozen counts of mistreatment and neglect. The charges were filed after Medford police discovered their four young children, who range in age from 7 months to 4 years, living in filth inside their home.

Missiaen told the court Regain disputed the amount of time the children were alleged to have been locked in the room. But, he added, she understood no amount of time was acceptable.

Both parents were working at the time of the neglect, Missiaen said, adding Regain was also suffering from mental health issues and had "withdrawn" at the time of the incident.

Since the arrest, Regain and Hon have been working with child welfare representatives and have engaged in family therapy, and the children have been enrolled in the Family Nurturing Center, a therapeutic respite nursery. Missiaen also thanked Gould for understanding the complexity of the case.

On Tuesday, Gerking also sentenced Hon to five days in jail, with credit for time served, and 18 months' probation for the same charges. Hon was represented by defense attorney Christine Herbert.

Medford police went to the couple's house in the 2800 block of Anita Circle after receiving an anonymous report that four children were believed to have been severely neglected. Officers said the children had been locked in a room for hours at a time. The children had urinated and defecated in a heater vent because they did not have access to a restroom, said Medford police Detective Diane Sandler.

When police intervened, the infant had significant diaper rash and the other children showed signs of neglect, she said.